Following a survey of Huntsville transit riders earlier this year, Mayor Scott Aitchison hosted an open house to gather additional feedback on what local residents want from the Town’s transit service.
Approximately 50 people attended the public meeting to share their thoughts. Steve Hernen, Director of Operations and Protective Services for the Town, brought an overview to General Committee on April 26 with options for councillors to consider. He asked for direction from councillors on how they would like to proceed based on the feedback received, specifically as it related to four areas:
-Should service hours be extended later into the evening and to Sundays?
-Should the in-town routes be more frequent, with runs every hour instead of every two hours?
-Should service be expanded to include areas to the north (Novar), east (Hidden Valley/Deerhurst) and south (Port Sydney) of Huntsville, and perhaps connect to service in other municipalities?
-Should alternatives to the door-to-door service provided be explored?
Extended hours of service
Huntsville Transit currently runs Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or until 5 p.m. for the modified bus which will pick up people with disabilities at their door) excluding holidays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A need was expressed for seven-day-a-week service to assist people working weekends or attending Sunday church services, as well as extended hours in the evening.
More frequent service
The wait time between pick-up times for Huntsville Transit service is currently two hours. Staff suggested an increase to a one-hour service based on public feedback that told them that a two-hour wait is unreasonable. Discussion at the meeting suggested more frequent (one-hour) service in town and less frequent service (two-hour) for outlying areas – if service is expanded – which could be treated more like commuter service.
Expansion to Novar, Hidden Valley/Deerhurst and Port Sydney
The business community is interested in expanded service, too, said Mayor Scott Aitchison, for employees who work in the Huntsville area but live in outlying communities.
“We looked at how to improve the service to connect people from just over our northern borders and also connect people from the southern part of our municipality in Port Sydney and also connect with our resort community,” said Mayor Aitchison. “I’m interested in seeing what a pilot project might look like.”
He said he’d also like to see how increased ridership from those areas might offset the cost of adding service to those areas.
“I’m eager to see this expanded not just because it’s some altruistic service, but it’s an important tool for sustainability, economic development, affordability of housing. I think it’s an important service that we need to expand.”
Door-to-door service for people with disabilities
Huntsville Transit currently runs one bus as a Conventional Modified service which, within a specified area, will pick riders up at their door rather than the nearest bus stop. It is intended to meet the standards set out by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Deb Kirwin, the chair of Huntsville’s Accessibility Committee, noted that “AODA doesn’t require the service to be door-to-door, as long as it’s a service that provides for people with disabilities, and doesn’t require the vehicle to be a bus. It could be a taxi…and AODA doesn’t require the service to be run with the same vehicle. It could be a combination of vehicles.”
She noted that at one time, buses were not accessible and the standards were intended to address the need of people with disabilities who could not access them. But over time, buses have become more accessible, which raises the question of whether the service as provided in Huntsville could or should change. “We need more discussion to understand how the legislation applies to our system and what we can do with our system to make it fair for everyone,” said Kirwin. “What we want is a better transit system overall… The door-to-door system costs the Town about four times what the conventional system does. Our goal is to make the conventional system that is accessible and minimize the costs of a specialized bus. We could look at taking that door-to-door service off and use a cab for those with disabilities who can’t access a bus stop.”
Hernen noted that any specialized service offered in town would have to be mirrored if the conventional service is expanded to other areas. Councillors discussed what a specialized service for people with disabilities could look like, including use of a taxi or van.
Town staff have been directed to explore options and costs for all four items and return to committee with a report in the Fall of 2017.
The Town of Huntsville announced today that adult fares for Huntsville Transit will increase effective June 1 to $2.25 per ticket, $22.50 for a 10 ride pass and $52.50 for a monthly pass. Student fares will remain the same.
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Hi Marg,
Options and information are being compiled by Town staff for councillors to consider. Our understanding is that whatever accessible service is offered in Huntsville – either as it is now or if it changes in future – would have to be mirrored in areas where the service is expanded.
Wonderful Idea, badly needed
Would service for disabled also extend to outlying areas?